Dan Walters: Friends or enemies? Newsom and Harris could face off for president in 2028

Well, sports fans, how about this scenario — long-time frenemies Gavin Newsom and Kamala Harris facing off for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination three years hence?

The two Californians’ parallel careers launched in San Francisco nearly three decades ago with the city’s storied political kingpin, Willie Brown, mentoring both.  Since then, they have carefully avoided direct conflicts while maintaining at least a veneer of mutual support.

However, on Sunday both strongly hinted at presidential campaigns in 2028 — Harris for the third time after falling short in 2020 and losing to Donald Trump in 2024, and Newsom for the first time after repeatedly disavowing interest in the White House during seven years as governor.

Newsom escalated his status as a potential candidate in a pre-recorded interview with CBS News that aired Sunday, while Harris dropped her hint in a pre-recorded interview with BBC in London, which also broadcast Sunday.

Asked whether he would give “serious thought” to running for president after next year’s midterm elections, Newsom responded, “Yeah, I’d be lying otherwise. I’d just be lying. And I’m not … I can’t do that.”

When asked if he is moving closer to finding a reason to run he answered, “Fate will determine that.”

His coy response notwithstanding, Newsom has been developing a national image with a possible presidential run in mind, soliciting national media attention and making appearances in other states.

With Trump back in the White House, Newsom has appointed himself resistor-in-chief and has taken to mocking Trump in social media posts. Polls indicate he has gained traction as a potential candidate.

Harris, meanwhile, has been touring to tout her memoir about her brief campaign against Trump last year after then-President Joe Biden, who had chosen her as his vice presidential running mate in 2020, declared he would not seek reelection.

After months of uncertainty Harris announced she would not run for governor in 2026, fueling media speculation she would try for the presidency again in 2028. Her interview with the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg keeps that possibility bubbling.

“I am not done,” Harris told the interviewer. “I have lived my entire career as a life of service and it’s in my bones.”

Asked about polls indicating only lukewarm support for another White House run, Harris responded, “If I listened to polls I would have not run for my first office, or my second office — and I certainly wouldn’t be sitting here.”

Kuenssberg wrote that Harris has been reticent about plans to run for president, but “her candor in our conversation was more striking. She was quick, eager even, to put herself in the frame for another tilt at power. But she stopped short of making any concrete commitment.”

If Harris is “not done” with politics and the governorship is off the table, what else could be on her political horizon other than another presidential bid?

Since this is about potential scenarios, how about this off-the-wall notion: U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla runs for governor next year and wins. Newsom then appoints Harris to the Senate in return for not opposing his White House campaign.

The future moves of both will hinge on the true relationship between these two ambitious politicians.

Harris’ book, “107 Days,” takes a few digs at other politicians, including Newsom. She wrote that she tried to reach Newsom after Biden’s decision to not seek reelection, but Newsom’s reply was “Hiking. Will Call Back.”

“He never did,” Harris added.

Newsom later told reporters that an unknown number popped up on his phone that day, and only later did he realize it had been Harris. “That exact same moment, was working with my team to draft a statement,” he said. “I assume that’s in the book as well.”

Harris’ book did not mention Newsom’s endorsement.

Dan Walters has been a journalist for more than 60 years, spending all but a few of those years working for California newspapers. His commentary comes via CalMatters.org, a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters. For more, go to calmatters.org/commentary.